There’s an overwhelming sense of euphoria and liberation in ‘On Repeat’. Penned by Mexican, Rotterdam-based DJ and producer Better Than Lex, the track navigates mainstream tech-house with underground flair, offering a sonic and dance-filled journey that’s bound to be frankly irresistible for any keen listeners. It’s a sharp track, focused on its hypnotising beats and the sparse vocal samples. It’s minimalistic, yet it’s hard-hitting and striking.
Released via Flashmob Records, ‘On Repeat’ marks Better Than Lex’s progressive rise into the global EDM scene. Writing with high-profile artists and appearing on stage next to his personal heroes, the talented DJ and producer seems destined for greater things. If the record is anything to go by, it’s just a matter of time. Supported by the likes of David Tort and Sam Divine, ‘Better Than Lex’ is slowly entering his growth era.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with ‘Better Than Lex’ to learn more about his artistry and future goals… interview below!
Hey Better Than Lex, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
I’ll let my bio speak for myself: “Better Than Lex is a Mexican DJ and Producer who is taking the scene by storm. Thanks to his natural charisma and great stage presence, he can immediately connect with the crowd keeping them dancing non-stop to his addictive mix of groovy House, and powerful Tech House.”
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music and Dj-ing?
I used to work as PR and Host in an electronic music club back in my hometown Acapulco, where I saw many great DJs performing live, but one day I saw Erick Morillo and I was completely absorbed by his energy and way of mixing that I felt in love with the craft. Since then, I wanted to become a DJ myself and make people dance, have fun and make them feel like my performances were an escape from their daily lives.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
John Summit would be on top my list, he was the first artist that inspired me to produce music, and I actually started learning with his YouTube videos. I also admire how much he has build and his energy and authenticity is contagious. I actually met him in the backstage area of a Festival we both played in Germany, Fairground Festival. I would also love to collab with Sam Divine, she is a great inspiration as a person and an artists and I love her music and stage presence, I have seen her live a couple of times and I danced like crazy to her sets.
You recently released a hypnotising tech-house track with a heightened old-school flair, ‘On Repeat’. It’s a textbook banger, a nugget of euphoria and freedom. Can you take us through the creative process behind the record?
Thank you! ‘On Repeat’ was born as an idea of an edit, actually. I was going to play in a club in Dusseldorf (Germany) for the first time, so I wanted to make an edit of a known German song in a tech house hard vibe. Then, as the project progressed, I thought it could be a great club banger on its own so I ditched the German vocal and grab a simple splice sample. I don’t like overcomplicating things, I thought the drop was powerful enough that didn’t need much more things to add, sometimes less is more!
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
Definitely alone! I’m not a structured or organized person, so I really just open the DAW when I have the energy, time and inspiration, and then I kinda freestyle my way through. I listen to a lot of samples, references and just get creative that way. So just thinking that I have to make an appointment to work with people for a specific time, and have an agenda, it gives me a little bit on anxiety hahaha!
You are now based in Rotterdam, rather far away from your Mexican homeland. How are you finding Europe, and the EDM/club scene here?
I moved to Europe 6 years ago, first to Germany, now to the Netherlands. It hasn’t been easy to be honest, a lot of ups and downs, adjustments, a couple of months with mild depression around COVID times, which I fortunately was able to cope with by learning music production and going to therapy. But now I love it here, it’s a great place to live with a lot of opportunities, and the music scene is big and dynamic. In the Netherlands especially there’s a big appreciation for electronic music.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
Definitely moving to the Netherlands! After five years in Germany, I had built a strong base and made many connections to the scene already. Moving here less than a year ago has been quite a challenge, because it feels in a way like starting from scratch again, but hey, we are still here and I’m not giving up. I’m working on building my own brand of events in the Netherlands and I see a lot of potential there.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
This summer I’m playing with Robin Schulz and Avaion in an open air festival in Germany, and also coming back to Fairground Festival, but with a big surprise on that end that I can’t reveal yet 😉 I’m also having my debut in One World Radio (Tomorrowland Radio) with an hour set I was invited to send, and of course some exciting new music coming via some great labels: the rest of 2025 is looking great!
